In a news conference today, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan claims that he warned Belgium and the Netherlands that one of the suicide bombers in this week’s attacks in Belgium was a foreign terrorist fighter.
In a separate story, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz claims the Belgian authorities had “precise” warnings about the bombings.
Turkey Blames the West
The Middleeast Observer reports Turkey Blames the West, Erdogan says Belgium Failed to Detect Attacker’s Terror Links.
Addressing a joint press conference with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in Ankara Wednesday, Erdogan said Belgium was warned that the attacker captured in Turkey’s southeastern Gaziantep province in 2015 was a foreign militant.
“However, despite our warnings that this person is a foreign terrorist fighter, Belgium failed to detect the terrorist links of this person,” the Turkish president said.
Turkish premier said the Syrian tragedy had now reached European shores. “It is now essential for Europe to go towards a very serious policy change,” he said.
He also said “To ensure the safety of the region, there is no other partner than Turkey for Europe,”. He urged Europe to see the unchangeable truth and act accordingly.
A MorningNewsHeadline version of the story states Belgium Released Brussels Attacker Deported from Turkey, Erdogan Reveals.
Turkey deported one of the Brussels attackers and alerted the Belgian authorities about him last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.
However, Belgium had found no links with terorism of the deportee and released him, Erdogan said at a joint news conference with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in Ankara, Turkish news daily Sabah reported on Wednesday.
”The Belgian embassy was notified on July 14, 2015 about the deportation of the attacker, who was later released in Belgium,” Erdogan said, according to dailysabah.com.
Erdogan said Belgium had been warned that the attacker caught in Turkey’s southeastern Gaziantep province in 2015 was a foreign fighter.
“However, despite our warnings that this person is a foreign terrorist fighter, Belgium failed to detect the terrorist links of this person,” the Turkish president said, according to Anadolu Agency.
Precise Warnings
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz claims Belgian Intelligence Had Precise Warning That Airport Targeted for Bombing.
The Belgian security services, as well as other Western intelligence agencies, had advance and precise intelligence warnings regarding the terrorist attacks in Belgium on Tuesday, Haaretz has learned.
The security services knew, with a high degree of certainty, that attacks were planned in the very near future for the airport and, apparently, for the subway as well.
That information does not sound all that precise to me.
What was Belgium supposed to do, shutdown the airport and subway? Precise should mean a specific name or date, not a threat that something will happen at the airport “soon”.
This report from Haaretz, like the articles at the top is precise: Belgium Ignored Turkish Warning About Brussels Attacker, Erdogan Says.
REUTERS – One of the attackers in the Brussels suicide bombings was deported last year from Turkey, and Belgium subsequently ignored a warning that the man was a militant, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.
Erdogan’s office later identified the man as Ibrahim El Bakraoui, one of the two brothers named by Belgium as responsible for the attacks that killed at least 31 people in Brussels on Tuesday and were claimed by ISIS.
Speaking at a news conference, Erdogan said Bakraoui was detained in the southern Turkish province of Gaziantep near the Syrian border and was later deported to the Netherlands. Turkey also notified Dutch authorities, Erdogan said.
Turkey Deports Terrorists to the Netherlands
Turkey deports suspected terrorists to the EU and those countries accept them.
What a deal!
Background Checks, Who Needs Em?
Meanwhile, back in Obamaland, please recall that President Obama does not want background checks on refugees.
In November of 2015, Obama said he would Veto Bill Requiring Background Checks On Syrian Refugees.
According to Obama, background checks on Syrian refugees would introduce “unnecessary and impractical requirements”.
Apparently it’s unnecessary as well as too much of an inconvenience to weed out terrorists.
States were forced to take matters into their own hands.
31 States Will Not Take Syrian Refugees
In response to Obama’s welcoming of potential terrorists, CNN reported More than Half the Nation’s Governors say Syrian Refugees Not Welcome.
What would that number be today?
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
